Container for milk bottle caps



Dec. 30, 1941'. w. A. DAVIS 2,268,245

CONTAINER FOR MILK BOTTLE GAPS I Filed Jan. 20, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l WILLIAM 14.5%??? ATTORNEY.

Dec. 30,1941. w V s 2368245 CONTAINER FOR MILK BOTTLE CAPS Fil ed Jan. 20, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. M/[LL JAM. A. D/MS WW PM ATTORNEY-5.

substances, or the 'tainer may be so formed that the Patented Dec. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,288,245 CONTAINER FOB. MILK BOTTLE CAPS William A. Davis, Hamilton,

Ontario, Canada, as-

signer to Smith-Lee Company, Oneida, N. Y. Application January 20, 1940, Serial No. 314,866

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved tubular container for milk bottle caps.

An object is to provide a container for milk bottle caps which is simple, strong, and inexpensive. It may be easily fabricated and it is so constructed that the bottle caps carried therein will be protected against contamination by dirt, dust, moisture, or other i'oul material and to an appreciable degree from bacteria.

The container embodies a tubular body portion and end closures for said body portion. Such body and end closures may have a structural foundation "of any suitable material. Paper is suitable and may be used. The tube may take any cross-sectional shape and it is understood that wherever the words tube or "tubular are used herein such words describe, unless otherwise specified, a hollow tubular structure having any desired cross sectional shape.

More particul structed that it includes a protective coating or lamination which is substantially impervious or resistant to the passage therethrough of moisture, foul material, or bacteria. Preferably this coating or lamination forms a part of each end closure .as well as a part 01' the body portion of the container. Such coating may be of any suitable character. A wax like coating has been found satisfactory. The coating may be formed of a thermoplastic moisture resistant substance or the substance may be rendered adhesive by a solvent rather than heat. Substances such as arly, the container is so con I other modified form paraflin wax, or other suitable waxes, resinous like, may be employed.

In one preferred form the coating extends over the inner face or the tubular body and each end closure. The coating may, however, be associated with the outer face of the container or it may constitute an intermediate layer or lamination which is moisture resistant.

impervious coating associated withthe end closure is hermetically sealed to the coating associated with the tubular body portion thereby forming a continuous impervious protective layer.

Furthermore, the container is of such a character as to facilitate dispensing the caps therefrom when the caps are to be used in a bottle capping machine.

This application is a continuation in part of application Serial No. 261,023, filed March 10, 1939.

' Other objects, advantages and meritorious features or my invention will more fully appear from Theconthe following description, appended accompanying drawings, wherein:

claim, and

Figure 1 is a perspective of a container tube.

.the tube shown Zin Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a perspective of a container of a construction similar to that ofFig. 3 except that it is square in cross section and the protective coating is disposed on the outside,

Fig. 6 is a corss-sectional view through the structure of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view through anof construction. Heretofore milk bottle caps have been packaged for shipment and storage in open endpaper tubes. The wall of the tube was crimped inwardly at each end to hold the capslin place therein. When the caps were desired for use one end of the tube was cut oil inwardly of the crimped over wall so as to promote free slidable discharge movement oi. the caps from the tube through the capping machine. Caps so packaged were open to fouling and contamination; Dirt, moisture, and bacteria collected thereon prior to their use and duringshipment and storage.

I propose to and their use and which will of the caps from th tube for use.

My container tube Ill may be formed of paper rolled up in the conventional spiral manner. It is common practice to form suchtubes of a plurality of paper layers adhesively secured together. I propose to so fabricate such a tube that it embodies a coating or lamination which is imper ,vious or resistant to the passage of moisture or other material therethrough. Such coating may be formed of any suitable moisture resistant substance.

Paraflin wax has been found suitable. It is relatively inexpensive and thermoplastic. Other waxes or resins may, however, be employed. Such coating .need not be thermoplastic but it must be moisture resistant to constitute aprotective layer. Its adhesion inight be'obtained through use of a solvent or it might be thermosetting.

The coating is preferably applied to the inner provide atubular container which. will keep the caps inasanitary, sterile, condition protect them from deposit of bacteria or other foul injurious material thereon prior to adhesion might be employed.

opposite end with bottle caps l8.

face of the tube and when a wax like substance is applied to the inner face of the paper tube it not only forms a moisture resistant coating over such inner face but it seals up in the body structure of the tube bacteria that may be present therein. Applied as a hot melt coating the heat will destroy many of the bacteria and will inhibit movement of others through the coating.

In the drawing the paper wall structure of the container tube is indicated as W and the impervious or resistant protective coating or lamination is indicated as 12. In Figs. 3 and 4 this coating 12 is indicated as applied to the inner surface of the tube and that surface of each end closure which is exposed to the interior of the tube. The coating applied as a hot melt coating impregnates the paper and also forms a surface coating thereover to serve the purposes hereinabove set forth.

In these. first four figures of the drawing, which illustrate the preferred form of construction, the tube is formed. of two plies of paper spirally wound and adhesively sealed together in a manner well known. with moisture resistant coating material which also forms a protective layer over the inner face of such ply. Each end closure is formed of paper which is also impregnated with a suitable coating compound to the outer surface of the tube body and the end closures instead of to the inner surface as in Figs. 3 and 4. The closed end tube may be dipped into a coating bath.

In Fig. 7 the tubular body is shown as formed of two layers of structural material In, which layers may be paper, and between which is disposed an intermediate layer l2, which intermediate layer constitutes the resistant protective with a moisture resistant substance such as the vinyl acetate or vinyl chloride' mentioned which not only renders the sheet substantially impervious to the passage of moisture and foul material therethrough but also upon heating to the point of adhesion forms an adhesive bond with the two structuralplies l0.

The resin compositions such as vinyl acetate or vinyl chloride or a co-polymer of the. two might be used instead of wax as a coating for one surface of the tube. They are thermoplastic. Other suitable moisture resistant thermoplastic or thermosetting substances might be used. A substance responsive to a solvent for The vinyl resins mentioned respond to alcohol and would be suitable for such use. Many other suitable moisture resistant substances are known.

A closure cap is provided for each end 'of the tube. In the construction shown one closure cap 20 is illustrated as secured within its end of the tube. The tube is then filled through the Commonly these caps are formed of paper. The caps are wax treated prior to being packaged within the tube- They are packaged while in a heated state. Following the filling of the tube with The inner ply is impregnated that covers its inner surface.- In Fig. 6 this coating I2 is shown as applied 1 caps the opposite end closure i4 is secured to its end of the tube and sealed in place.

In the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the end closure 20 which is secured in place before the tube is filled cup-shaped and as having a side wallportion This end closure is shown as provided with a protective moisture resistant coating or lamination l2 extending over its outer surface which is the end face and side wall surface thatlies within the tube when the end closure is in position. The side wall side wall ll of the end closure holding such end closure in place.

While the relatively impervious layer 12 is shown as extended over that face of each end closure within the tube in Figs. 3 and 4 it is illustrated as extending over the outer face thereoiin Fig. 6 and as constituting an intermediate layer thereof as described connection with the structure of Fig. 7.

In the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the coating layer l2 over the side wall 2| of the inserted end closure is preferably sealed to the coating layer i2 over the inner surface of the tubular body. This would form a hermetic seal at such point. v

The end closure cap I is also shown as cupshaped. It is received over the outside of its end of the tube instead of being seated within the tube. This closure cap is provided with a protective coating layer [2 which in Figs. 3 and 4 is shown as extending over the inner surface. In the constructions of Figs, Sand 7 this moisture resistant coating or layer constitutes an outer layer and an intermediate layer, respectively, as'hereinabove described.

This closure cap H is received over that end of the tube through which the bottle capswere inserted and after the tube is filled with bottle caps. It is sealed in place in any suitable manher. In 3 it is shown as so sealed by an adhesive band it, which band may be a crepe paper masking tape which, because of its extensibility, could be snugly drawn about the diameter of the cap and about the diameter of the tube though these diameters are different. Obviously other bands might be employed and they might be 'differently' afilxed so long as the cap was properly secured in place.

I prefer to package the milk bottle caps while they are hot from the wax with which they have been treated. One common practice is to impregnate them with paraflin wax compound at a temperature of approximately 240 F. The impregnating wax is pressed into the caps so as not to leave any excess of'wax upon the outer surface. It is obvious that other suitable substances might be used. There are many waxes and resins which are suitable.

As the caps are disposed within the tube while in the heated state the retained heat of the packaged caps confined within the tube has a tendency to heat seal the wax coating. 01' the two end closures to the wax coating over the inner side wall ofthe tube when the construction is of the character shown' in Figs. 3 and 4 thereby providing a complete moisture proof coating or layer about the contained bottle caps retaining such caps in a sterile sanitary condition until used. Whether such seal resulted would depend upon the amount and character of thecoating and the contained heat, but in any event the protective coating associated with the wall of the tube and with caps is illustrated as" of the tube body is shown as rolled or spun over at 22 upon and over the bottle with which body of the tube the end closures would constitute a highly eiiective protective envelope about the caps within the container.

The atmosphere in dairies wherein the caps are used is heavily moisture laden. It is common Practice to provide milk bottle caps with lift tabs which are stitched in Place by steel wires. This moisture has a tendency to attack and rust the Packaging the caps as herein described protects them from attack by such moisture and consequent rusting.

Dairies generally make used many diirerent kinds of milk bottle caps. These caps are printed to indicate the particular kind of milk within the the cap is used. To readily identify, the particular kind of cap within any particular tube I prefer to insert within the cup shaped end closure II a single bottle cap II with its printed side exposed to view. This cap is held place within the end closure II by the crimped over side wall 22 oi'the tube as shown particular- 1:! in Figs. 2 and 4. I

When the end closure is removed i'rom the the contained cape may be readily discharged from such end of the tube for use in a bottle capping machine. The opposite end of the tube having its side wall crimped inwardly would notlend itself to such discharge of caps therethrough. 7

What I claim: 3 r A container tube for milk bottle caps having a cup shaped end closure inserted within one end of the tube, the wall oi the tube at such end being rolled over within, the tube overlapping the side wall of such end closure holding said end closure in position, an external end closure received over and secured to the opposite end of the tube, said tube and each end closure being provided with a moisture resistant protective coating, the tube coating being thermoplastically hermetically,

sealed to the two end coatings forming a con 'tinuous homogeneous layer therewith, and a mil bottle cap seated upon the outer face of the-inserted end closure and held in place thereon by the side wall of the tube being rolled over inward- 1y thereagainst. 

